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1 1 (May 26, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govedlg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: C ss I s no n rninoh ~jI n 14 9 Updated May 26, 2021 The Palestinians: Overview, 2021 Aid, and U.S. Policy Issues The Palestinians and their ongoing disputes and interactions with Israelraise significant is sues for U.S. policy (see U.S. Policy Issues and 2021 Aid Announcements below). After a serious rupture in U.S.-Palestinian relations during the Trump Administration, the Biden Administration has startedreengaging with the Palestinian people andtheir leaders, and resuming some economic development and humanitarian aid-with hopes of pres erving the viability of a negotiated two-state solution. In the aftermath of the May 2021 conflict involving Israel and Gaza, U.S. officials have announced additional aid (also seebelow) and other efforts to help with recovery and engage with the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA), but near-termprospects for diplomatic progress toward Israeli-Pales tinianpeace reportedly remain dim. Palestinian leaders have lamented some Arab states' recent normalization ofrelations with Israelbecause it could undermine pastArab efforts to link such improvements with addressing Palestinian negotiating demands. The Palestinians are an Arab people whose origins are in present-day Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Fatah, an Arab nationalistfaction, is the driving force within the Palestine LiberationOrganization (PLO), which represents Palestinians internationally. The Sunni Islamist group Hamas (a U.S.-designated terroristorganization)has not accepted PLO recognition of Israel and constitutes the main oppositionto Fatah. Jordan I I Source: Economist Intelligence Unit. Note: West Bankand Gaza Strip borders remain subjectto Israeli- Palestinian negotiation. million (roughly 44%) are refugees (registered in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria) whose claims to land in present-day Israelconstitute a major is sue ofIsraeli- Pales tinian dispute. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is mandated by the U.N. General Assembly to provide protection and essentialservices to theseregistered Palestinian refugees, including health care, education, and housing assistance. International attention to the Palestinians' situation increased after Israel's military gained controlover the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Direct U.S. engagement with Palestinians in the WestBankand Gaza dates fromthe es tablishmentof the PA in 1994. For the past severalyears, other regionalpolitical and security is sues have taken some of the global attention from Palestinian is sues. Timeline of Key Events Since 1993 1993-1995 Israel and the PLO mutually recognize each other and establish the PA, which has limited self-rule (subject to overall Israeli control) in the Gaza Strip and specified areas of the West Bank. 2000-2005 2004-2005 2005 2006 2007 2007-present 20 17-2020 Of the approximately 12.4 million Palestinians worldwide, about 4.8 million (98% SunniMuslim, 1% Christian) live in 2021 the West Bank and Gaza. About 1.5 million additional Palestinians are citizens of Israel, and 6.1 million more live elsewhere. Of the total Pales tinianpopulation, more than5 https://crsreports.cong re Second Palestinian intifada affects prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace, leads to tightened Israeli security in the West Bank, and complicates the U.S. third-party role. PLO Chairman/PA President Yasser Arafat dies; Mahmoud Abbas succeeds him. Israel unilaterally disengages from Gaza, but remains in control of airspace and land/maritime access points. Hamas wins majority in Palestinian Legislative Council and leads new PA cabinet; Israel, United States, and European Union confine relations to PA President Abbas. West Bank-Gaza split: Hamas seizes control of Gaza Strip; Abbas reorganizes PA cabinet to lead West Bank; this remains the status quo to date. Various rounds of U.S.-brokered Israeli- Palestinian peace negotiations (the last in 201 3-2014) end unsuccessfully; PLO/PA increases efforts to gain membership in or support from international organizations. U.S.-Palestinian tensions rise during the Trump Administration. Biden Administration resumes aid and takes additional steps to reengage Palestinians; May 2021 Israel-Gaza conflict and aftermath

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